McCollum Secures $2.8 Million for Community Projects Boosting Local Workforce in Funding Bill

The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies bill and report today, including two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) to benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District:

• Project: Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest's Apprenticeship Pathways to Resolve Inequity for Access ($2,000,000)
  Expanding a workforce pipeline of middle and high school students, high school graduates, and other young adult candidates for construction, manufacturing, and industrial Registered Apprenticeship programs through partnerships with community organizations, public and charter school educators, employers, associations, unions, and advocacy groups in order to target underserved populations in Minnesota's 4th district.
• Project: St. Catherine University's Advancing Scientific Excellence Initiative ($800,000)
  Providing critical technology and equipment upgrades to Mendel Hall, ready to execute upon receipt of funds, that will vastly enhance student learning and research experience for women undergraduate students in STEM fields. As a Minority Serving Institution whose student body is 94% women, 42% of whom identify as BIPOC, the university seeks to deliver premier education and training in the sciences to address the underrepresentation of women and people of color in STEM education and professions. These equipment and technological upgrades will support efforts to meet the growing demand both locally and nationally for diverse research teams to drive scientific innovation and discovery.

"This is a critical first step to bringing back federal taxpayer dollars to Minnesota's Fourth District to increase access to apprenticeships and STEAM-related careers throughout our community," Congresswoman McCollum said. "These projects will expand workforce development opportunities to a wider range of communities, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest and St. Catherine University to continue advancing this funding."

"The funding secured by Congresswoman McCollum in the Labor Health and Human Services appropriations bill for Fiscal year 2022 will provide critical resources to support FTI-UM in building a sustainable pipeline of new candidates for registered apprenticeships," said Jeff Stark, District Council 82 and Finishing Trades Institute of the Upper Midwest's Board of Trustees Co-Chair. "This project continues the expansion of a diversity driven workforce development project targeting underserved populations in Minnesota. 47.6% of FTIUM apprentices are women and/or people of color. The Congresswoman's leadership to secure funding builds on the school's success at providing equity to future career candidates and the ability to have sizeable impact on the underserved communities in the twin cities, Greater Minnesota, and Western Wisconsin. We look forward to our continued partnership with Congresswoman McCollum and are grateful for her investment in this critical project."

"Providing women access to an education in the sciences is vital to our world and why the sciences are a core part of a St. Catherine education," said President of St.Catherine UniversityBecky Roloff. "As one of only six women's institutions that is designated a minority serving institution, this project will prepare a diverse pipeline of women for impactful scientific careers and meets the growing demand for female professionals in STEM fields locally and nationally. We are thrilled that Representative McCollum shares our commitment to diverse women scientists and has included critical scientific equipment upgrades at St. Kate's as one of her Community Project Funding requests."

Background:

For 2022, the LHHS bill provides $253.8 billion, an increase of $55.2 billion – 28 percent – above 2021. With this historic increase, the legislation:

• Creates and sustains good-paying American jobs through investments in job training, apprenticeship programs, and worker protection
• Grows opportunity with transformative investments in education, including record funding for high-poverty schools and students with disabilities, and strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education
• Supports middle class and working families with increased funding for child care and development programs, Head Start, and preschool development grants
• Strengthens lifesaving biomedical research with increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, including funding to establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health
• Bolsters our public health infrastructure with more resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for states and local governments to strengthen infrastructure and capacity
• Addresses our nation's most urgent health crises, including maternal health, mental health, gun violence, and opioid abuse, while making strides to reduce persistent and unacceptable health disparities
• Advances equal treatment for women by increasing funding for the range of health services, including family planning, covered by Title X and repealing the discriminatory Hyde Amendment

The bill next heads to the floor of the U.S. House Floor for debate and approval.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The bill report is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.